Next Best Thing
by Technorogy
Summary: If he couldn't have Yosuke, a Shadow was close enough, right? Souji/Shadow Yosuke, Souji/Yosuke
1. Chapter 1

Souji went into the TV World alone. He only had to go to the twisted shopping district, which had no Shadows and was relatively easy to locate. He didn't need to drag the whole team along just to find a bottle of alcohol for someone.

He was surprised when he felt arms around his waist, and a voice calling him partner in his ear.

He could tell it wasn't really Yosuke. He wouldn't have come here willingly, especially when Souji hadn't told anyone where he was going. But he found it hard to care when the Shadow dipped its hands down Souji's boxers and its fingers wrapped around his cock.

The Shadow stayed there even after Souji came, resting its head against Souji's shoulder and sighing. "Good to see you, partner."

Souji's mind caught up with him then, and he suddenly became aware of all things _wrong_ with the situation. For his own sanity, he only chose to focus on one: the question of why Yosuke's Shadow was here to begin with. Yet he let that question go forgotten a few days later, when he saw Yosuke was still able to call upon Susano-O in battle.

After that, he returned to the liquor store a few more times.

Yosuke's Shadow was always there, waiting for him. He seemed...excited? Amused? Souji couldn't really tell, but it didn't really matter.

He knew Yosuke didn't want him. He already made it pretty clear that he didn't swing that way. His Shadow did, though, obvious by how quickly it appeared whenever Souji walked into the store, how quickly it got his pants off and its mouth around his cock.

"We should stop this," Souji said after his...sixth, tenth visit, he wasn't counting.

"Why?" Yosuke's Shadow asked, fingers still pulling at Souji's fly.

Souji bit his lip, losing his train of thought for a moment. "It's...it's taking advantage of him," he said finally.

Yosuke's Shadow paused to consider this. "Not really," it said. "But if you mind that much..." It pushed Souji down onto his knees. "This wouldn't be, would it?"

Souji guessed that made sense, in a twisted sort of way. He unzipped the Shadow's pants and sucked its cock in deep, figuring if it was actually Yosuke, he'd like it, and the sounds his Shadow was making would be coming from him instead. He didn't like to imagine Yosuke being as rough as his Shadow, who was tugging on his hair and thrusting hard into his mouth, and pulled out as it came, spending itself over Souji's face.

Souji jumped back in surprise, nearly landing on top of an empty bottle on the floor behind him. "I-I have to walk outside after this," he said.

"Ohh, yeah?" Yosuke's Shadow said. "Good luck with that."

Souji sighed and stood up, walking over to peer into one of the store's windows at his reflection as he wiped his face with his sleeve. He could see Shadow Yosuke coming up behind him, but didn't stop it when it pressed him up against the window and worked its hands into his pants.

"I wish there were people outside," Shadow Yosuke sighed as it stroked him. "Everyone should see this." Souji moaned, which the Shadow might have taken for affirmation.

"There are a lot of people who look at you, y'know," Shadow Yosuke went on. "But you're— you're fucking _mine_, got it? You're not anyone else's partner."

Souji nodded reflexively. "I think I— _haah_... I like you more than you like me," he said.

Shadow Yosuke paused, before picking back up at a higher speed. "What makes you say that?"

"If it wasn't true, I wouldn't be here right now."

Shadow Yosuke pressed his lips against Souji's neck, and Souji could feel him smile. "...I love you, Souji."

Souji gasped out Yosuke's name as he came, and the stain spreading on his pants reminded him that he still had to walk home.

Souji's schedule was losing momentum, neglecting his Social Links to go back into the liquor store, to Yosuke's Shadow. He did end up noticing, eventually, and quickly tried to get himself back on track. For all his efforts, though, he couldn't bring himself to completely end his visits to the TV World.

He felt a little mad at himself, though, for just using Yosuke's Shadow like some glorified sex toy. He tried to justify it by thinking of how the Shadow never complained, and there were days where he at least started things out chastely, but he couldn't lie to himself that well, so he settled with ignoring the thought.

He'd almost forgotten his worries entirely, until one day while Shadow Yosuke was riding him, eyes closed and with Souji's gaze locked on his face. "Hey..." he said suddenly. "When was the last time you spent time with me?"

Souji frowned in confusion. "You...?" Shadow Yosuke opened his eyes to stare blankly at him. "Ohhh, oh, you mean him."

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Shadow Yosuke said, slowing down.

"It hasn't— shit— not that long," Souji said. God, he didn't want to hold a serious conversation in the middle of this.

"It's been too long," Shadow Yosuke said blandly. "Why don't you tell him?"

Souji grabbed at the Shadow's hips, trying to get him back to a faster pace, but Shadow Yosuke seemed determined to barely move at all. "Tell him _what?_" Souji asked in exasperation.

"That we've been fucking for two months," Shadow Yosuke said bluntly.

Had it really been _that_ long...? "Can't," Souji mumbled, moving his hips desperately.

"Wish you would," Shadow Yosuke said, finally moving again. "We should broadcast this for him."

"The Midnight Channel doesn't come on in the afternoon," Souji said. "That's pretty— oh, shit, _Yosuke_... it's self-explanatory."

Souji made a frustrated sound as Shadow Yosuke slowed down again. The Shadow smiled down at him. "I'm sure I can find a way around that."

The more Souji thought on things, he finally realized that it really _had_ been a while since he last made plans with Yosuke. He'd been working on his other Social Links more, and with all the time he'd been...spending with Yosuke's Shadow, he almost hadn't noticed how long it had been.

"Hey, Yosuke," Souji said, quickly turning around to face him one day after class.

"Huh, yeah?" Yosuke asked. He looked surprised, but Souji couldn't really blame him after having ignored him for so long.

"If you were free today, did you want to go somewhere?" Souji asked.

"Oh, sorry... I have work today," Yosuke said.

"Alright..." Souji said. He'd somehow managed to forget about that. Besides, it was raining, no one did anything while it was raining. "Another day, then."

"Right..." Yosuke said.

Souji stood up, and ended up walking to Junes without really thinking about it.

No one was waiting for him when he first entered the liquor store. Souji frowned and glanced around. Shadow Yosuke was always around. He wouldn't even have anywhere to go, would he?

He didn't have time to dwell on that, being interrupted by feeling an arm wrap around his waist. He opened his mouth to say something, but he felt a cloth being pressed over his nose and his vision faded.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he woke up, but Yosuke (his _Shadow_, he found himself needing the clarification) was next to him when he did. Souji was about to say that the Shadow didn't need to knock him out of all things, but Shadow Yosuke pressed their lips together and Souji responded eagerly.

Souji was already hard, and he wondered if he had some dream he forgot or if Yosuke had done something while he was out. He couldn't mind either way, not while Yosuke was climbing on top of him and tugging his pants off.

"You really like this, huh?" Yosuke— Yosuke's Shadow, right, said as he tossed Souji's pants off to the side. Souji nodded quickly, reattaching his mouth to Yosuke's and running his hands over every inch of him he could touch.

Yosuke got Souji's shirt off so fast he was certain he must have ripped some of the buttons off. He sucked and nipped at Souji's neck enough to leave marks, and Souji fumbled with the buttons of his pants and jacket. "Bet you wish it weren't in here, though..." Shadow Yosuke mouthed against Souji neck and pushed slick fingers into him. "And you'd rather it be _all_ of me." Souji could only nod again and gasp helplessly, unable to form a proper answer with those fingers stroking inside him.

"I close my eyes for you, too, but is that really enough for you?" Yosuke (his _Shadow_, dammit) said. He moved his fingers out of Souji, pulling his ass up and pressing his face against the floor so he was supported by his knees and the side of his face. "Why don't you ever go for all of me?"

"You...he doesn't want me," Souji choked out, trying to press back against Shadow Yosuke.

The Shadow wrapped his fingers around Souji's cock, and Souji thrust into the grip. "Why are you still on that?" he asked.

Why did Shadow Yosuke always insist on talking about these things like this? "Sh-_shit_, just fuck me already," Souji groaned. Shadow Yosuke complied, thrusting in without waiting to adjust.

"You're pretty eager, there," Shadow Yosuke said, sounding amused. "But you wouldn't just take this from anyone, right? My partner's way too good for that." Souji managed a yes, somehow, even between his shortness of breath and attempts to push back on the Shadows.

"I know you better than anyone, don't I, partner?" Shadow Yosuke continued. He rolled his thumb over the head of Souji's cock, and thrust against a spot that makes Souji moan obscenely and nearly lose his balance. "No one else could make you feel this good."

Shadow Yosuke thrust against that spot again, and Souji spread his legs wider and clawed at the floor. "_Harder_," he panted.

"So why don't you go after me?" Shadow Yosuke asked. "What, do you only want my cock, partner?"

"No, that's not—" Souji broke off, shuddering, trying to push back, but Shadow Yosuke held him back. "I want..."

"What _do_ you want?" Shadow Yosuke asked, squeezing the base of Souji's cock.

"I-I want..." Souji broke off again and gasped, trying to work out what the Shadow was actually getting at. "I want Yosuke to...love me..."

Shadow Yosuke thrust in deep, giving his cock a sharp stroke, and Souji came hard, panting and moaning Yosuke's name between breaths. Shadow Yosuke came inside of him a few seconds later, and pulled out to lie next to him. He cupped Souji's chin in his hand and kissed him softly, which Souji thought seemed out of place with what had just happened. Souji tried to return the kiss, but Shadow Yosuke pulled back to whisper in his ear. "I already do."

When Souji left the TV World, it was well after midnight.


	2. Chapter 2

I actually had this part published on ao3 for about a month and I just forgot to post it here until today, ahahaha... I'll promise to upload them both at the same time next part, I swear.

* * *

><p>Souji was a popular guy, Yosuke couldn't deny that. That meant he couldn't go a day without hearing someone mention his name, and girls were practically lining up for him. Yosuke didn't resent him for it, not anymore, but it also meant that he got less time with him than he would have liked.<p>

It hadn't always been like that, really. Souji had always attracted the interest of others, sure, but he spent more time with Yosuke than anyone else. He couldn't remember when it started, but at some point he noticed that Souji had just stopped hanging out with him.

He knew he couldn't have Souji to himself all the time, but sharing Souji and having Souji ignore him were two different things. And he was pretty sure that Souji was ignoring him.

Souji talked to him in the TV World, sure, and sometimes they exchanged words before class started, but it had been months since the last time they made plans together. More often, Souji left the school before Yosuke could even say a word to him, and he'd occasionally seen Souji out with some girl on the holidays.

He wondered if he'd done something wrong. He had to have, if Souji seemed to be going out of his way to avoid him when they'd been so close before.

Yosuke noticed, though, that Souji hadn't ever acted any different toward him in the TV World; in all the times they'd been there, Souji had acted as he always had, smiling and him and laughing at his jokes and acting more like a friend— like a _partner_— than he had any time outside of the TV World.

Still hurt and confused from dwelling on it, Yosuke went to bed earlier than usual, even though it was raining. If someone was on, he'd hear it from the others, anyway

He hadn't been in Souji's room very often, not as much as he'd like to have been, but he remembered the layout well enough. Desk in the corner, sofa in the middle, shelves against the wall. It formed with less details in his dreams, but had all the same sense of familiarity, of Souji.

Souji himself formed in his dreams as well, but more vividly than anything else Yosuke ever dreamed of. He'd known Souji well enough that his subconscious could supply every detail. His dumb popped collars, his weird grey hair in that stupid haircut... Yosuke had no idea why he found any of that endearing. He was sure he'd thought Souji looked ridiculous when they'd first met.

But that had always been part of Yosuke's image of him, it was practically iconic. It wasn't until a few months of knowing Souji that his dreams gained almost uncomfortable detail, noting parts of him that Yosuke actively tried not to think about. His slender neck, so pale and downright pristine that Yosuke wanted to suck and bite down on it until it was covered in dark bruises. His chest, too, and even though he'd only really seen it two or three times, and it felt the same in every dream even through his shirt, and Yosuke almost wondered how much of it was his subconscious' exaggerations.

One of his favorite things, though it embarrassed him to identify them that way, were Souji's hands. He knew how they felt, from countless times of pulling Souji up when he got knocked down during battles. They really were nice hands, with long fingers and they were strong without being too rough to touch. More importantly, they were hands that were on Yosuke now, gently pushing him back against the door of Souji's room.

"Partner..." Souji said softly. His face was closer than it needed to be, and Yosuke had his hands on Souji's waist, torn between pushing him away and pulling him closer.

Souji leaned in to kiss him, but Yosuke turned his head away. "...Don't you have some girlfriend to be with right now?" he mumbled, tightening his hold on Souji's waist.

Souji hummed, pressing kisses along Yosuke's jawline. "You're my partner," he said. "I don't really need anyone but you."

Yosuke remembered when he thought about girls. He still did, sometimes, but never as often as he thought of Souji. He'd always felt jealous of Souji for all the girls that fawned over him, but eventually that shifted into feeling jealous of the girls for being the subject of Souji's attention. Souji was _his_ partner, so he knew Souji better than any girl could.

"...Prove it," Yosuke said, turning back to face Souji. Souji immediately leaned forward to press his lips against Yosuke's, and Yosuke brought his hands up to run his fingers through Souji's hair.

Souji's fingers traveled in the opposite direction, popping open the button on Yosuke's fly. He pulled away from Yosuke, watching his face as he dipped his hand down to wrap his fingers around Yosuke's cock.

Souji moaned, the sound oddly clear and loud considering he wasn't even being touched.

"I want..." Souji murmured, moving his hand up and down. Yosuke moaned and clung to Souji's arms tightly, thrusting into the grip. "I...I want..."

The room, the hand on his cock, and Souji all faded, and Yosuke found himself back in his bed, hard and somewhat irritated.

_"What_ do_ you want?"_

Yosuke frowned in confusion. He could hear someone's voice— his own voice, he realized— but where would it be coming from...?

He turned his head to glance at his TV, and his eyes widened at the image on the screen. It was him, or his Shadow, whatever, and Souji, with Souji panting and moaning on his knees while his Shadow thrust into him. Yosuke couldn't take his eyes off the screen.

_"I-I want...I want Yosuke to...love me..."_

The Souji on screen came, and Yosuke gripped his sheets tightly as he did the same. He watched his Shadow on screen kiss Souji before the television switched off and the only sound left was the rain pouring outside.

Yosuke closed his eyes, releasing the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. What he'd seen on the TV...did that really happen, or had he still been caught up in his dream?

It had to be a dream, he thought. He didn't even have a Shadow anymore, he'd accepted that a while ago. And why would Souji be with it, anyway?

Too tired to get up and change, Yosuke rolled over and tried to get back to sleep. If it was just a dream, he might as well just forget about it, really.

That ended up being easier said than done.


End file.
